Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased 5 different travel backpacks for my family and we tested all 5 with weights in them to check for carrying comfort and other features. Before we purchased the 5 backpacks I did MANY hours of research online to see which ones I wanted to test. We tested Osprey's Porter 30, Porter 46, Farpoint 40, Farpoint 55 and Tortuga's travel backpack. All sell for under $200, which was my budget. My wife and I first hiked for 5 miles and with 20 pounds in the Porter 46 and the Farpoint 40. My wife felt great wearing the Farpoint 40. She said it was like not wearing any backpack at all. The Porter 46 did not feel that comfortable to me. It was initially, but I soon started feeling the weight. Near the end of the hike I wore the Farpoint 40 and it was like wearing no backpack. Same manufacturer, but a completely different comfort level. Next we tested the Farpoint 40 with 23 pounds against the Tortuga. The Tortuga is a fantastic bag and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a carry-on who does not need to carry the bag on their back for more than 1-2 miles. It has a lot of great features that make it superior to the Farpoint 40, but since we intend to travel around Europe for 3 weeks and will be walking a great deal with our backpacks, comfort was a major factor in deciding what we would purchase. The Farpoint 55 turned out to be too big to pass the carry-on test with all airlines. Despite the fact that it is a 40 liter bag with a 15 liter knapsack, it has a longer internal frame than the Farpoint 40, so we rejected it. The Farpoint 55 is a very nice bag and the knapsack feature is great, but it is more backpack than we wanted, especially since we plan to pop on and off airplanes without checking luggage. The Porter 30 was just too small for all of us. It might have worked in terms of storage for my daughter whose clothes are much smaller than the rest of us, but the length of the pack is too short to be comfortable on someone who is 5'9". So, we returned all the backpacks except the Farpoint 40 and ordered 3 more Farpoint 40s because the kids also felt it was the most comfortable. Is it the perfect pack? NO. The water bottle holders are too small and they get trapped underneath the compression straps. It also has a computer compartment that is on the outside of the pack rather than near your back where it should be, and it lacks a place on the hip belt, shoulder straps or elsewhere on the outside of the pack for passports, cameras or cellphones, but if you want to travel light, do carry-on AND be comfortable carrying the load this is probably the best pack for under $200. So why 5 stars if it falls short of being perfect? Because it is the best available for the money if you actually want to carry your travel backpack on your back.